Were Small Cars Exactly The Wrong Way To Launch Electric Cars?

By John Voelcker 3,758 views Oct 31, 2014 Follow John Add to circle Reddit This! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter 2014 BMW i3 (German-market version), Amsterdam, Oct 2013 Enlarge Photo Historically, most technology innovations in automobiles start at the high end and gradually work their way down the lineup until they've become standard features of even the humblest of cars. From automatic transmissions to disc brakes, turbochargers to fuel injection, high-end audio systems to touchscreens, the most expensive cars get the feature first. DON'T MISS: How Audi, BMW & Mercedes Plan To Compete With Tesla--And Why Which may suggest that battery-electric vehicles--whose batteries are indisputably expensive in their first decade--should have followed the same model. Instead, Nissan launched its battery-electric Leaf as a compact five-door hatchback, as did GM its Chevrolet Volt ...